Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: This place is a gem - a week of pure bliss for our

We spent a week at GBP El Portillo from April 2 to 9 and the entire group absolutely loved it. The beach is stunning and the water is very calm due to natural reef about 0.5km off shore. We stayed at GBP Akumal in Riviera Maya last year April and I personally preferred the smaller El Portillo over that massive complex. Yes, the amenities at El Portillo are not as great, but the location and feel of the resort in Samana are some much better. I felt much more relaxed in Samana versus Mexico. The c [... read more]limate is more tropical and humid whereas Riviera Maya was very hot and dry in April. I love the regular daily rainfall. The 3.5 hour flight and only 40 minutes by bus to the resort were a big plus as well. As for the resort itself, it is perfect for families and groups with young children. The resort is classy and it is pretty much quiet and closed (except for the discotheque) by 11pm. Those who choose to stay up late have the disco in the Puebla or many options in nearby Las Terrenas. The pools were small but very nice and not very crowded because the beach and ocean were so great. As with others, my biggest beef was the fact that all the palapas and lounge chairs at the beach and the pools were reserved by 6:30am. The culprits were mostly a certain European nationality who speak a very stern and harsh language. In the end, most other people just end up joining in the game if you can't beat them, join them! The buffet restaurant was phenomenal and the a la carte restaurants were pretty good as well. I loved the Brazilian Rodicio Grill. The seafood one was pretty good as well. The resort facilities were immaculate and very clean and well maintained. The staff were great and I preferred the Dominican culture and friendliness over that of Mexico. Mexico was nice, DR was nicer. At the front desk Alex was always amazing and very helpful. The Dominican people have the greatest smiles and that makes you feel at home from the moment you arrive. As for the bar, I really liked Welington at the beach bar. He was the friendliest and most efficient of the bar staff. That said, I like most of the staff at El Portillo. They were mostly hard-working, friendly and many seemed to be having fun. We definitely plan to go back some time soon. We stayed in Block 25. The location was great and the rooms were very nice and well maintained. We all loved it and plan to go back there within the next few years.

Bahia Principe Explore La Romana: Very nice clean resort

The ocean water not being clear and I wouldn't recommend it for that reason only. Everything else was very nice. Also it would be nice to land at La Romana airport instead of the long drive from Punta Cana.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Very Family Friendly!

As a family of four, we thoroughly enjoyed this resort. We loved that it wasn't so huge we couldn't find each other when needed. The service was excellent and the staff very friendly and professional. The beach is absolutely beautiful, the water calm with perfect snorkeling for beginners like us. This is our first time at an all-inclusive but we thought the food was exceptionally good, lots of fresh local fruit, and delicious international dishes to choose from. The only thing we were disappoint [... read more]ed in was the nightly entertainment. The disco doesn't open until 11 pm (not great for parents who may want to do a bit of dancing before their kids pass out!) and the shows that started at 9:30 pm were below cruise-ship level entertainment. Other than that, no complaints!

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Disappointed!

The hotel grounds and rooms are very clean. I was disappointed that during our whole stay we could not be accommodated for dinner at any of the a la carte restaurants. We tried from the minute we checked in! We had no choice but to eat all our meals at the buffet which was very repetitive and at times we believe it was "recycled" food. Service was horrific! Out of 8 meals I finally got only 1 half glass of wine served, the rest they kept forgetting or would bring it at the end of my meal while h [... read more]aving some dessert. We found servers very unattentive!! and surely wasn't because they were short staffed!! We had an issue with our patio door and they attended and then followed up right away. We were impressed with that. Their towels are like sand paper! and very stingy with the amount of towels they provide. The only good service and great drinks were served at the lobby!! Truthfully I was quite disappointed, obviously I didn't do such a good job on my research. I have learned for my next vacation. Ms. Disappointed

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Wonderful! Will be going back

What a great spot! Lots for the entire family to do, great food, comfortable rooms, clean and well kept rooms and top notch service. We had everything we needed in one great resort. Lots of dining options and areas for drinks so you did not feel the crowd of people. Well spread out and managed.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Not bad, but I would not go back

The pools were awesome for both adults and the kids. The beach was rocky and not cleaned at all. Beach bar was dirt. Other than that the food was good. Nice area. Don't go for "free shopping ". Things are 100 times more than the regular price. They don't really show anything at the silver factory. Also, don't get caught up and waste time with the time share people or real estate agents, unless you're interested

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Fantastic Time at the Coba!!!

Had a superb week at the Gran Bahia Principe Coba like always! The staff, the food, the activities, the entertainment, the SPA, the golf, everything was off the charts! A definite place we will return to in the future i.e. Very Soon!!!!!

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Amazing resort

The serving staffs are very friendly, environment is very nice and comfortable, it is worth every dollar we spend there, good food and drink are always available, snacking is near by the pool area, we had a very good time there

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Second visit to Grand Bahia

Although this hotel was big it didn't take long to find our way around. There was a variety of food and restaurants available. The one downfall would be the beach and the sea weed washed ashore. There was a shortage of pool chairs and even though there were signs posted that you couldn't reserve them there was no one there to enforce this. The staff were friendly and the rooms cleaned and well maintained.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Beautiful resort and something for everyone!

The resort is very well kept. Extremely beautiful grounds. The pools are clean and never seem too busy! the staff were so friendly and very helpful. The only issue we had was that we couldn't really get into any of the A la Carte dinner restaurants as they were all booked up. Late time slots (past 9:30pm) were available. Overall, I would definitely recommend this resort to family and friends.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: ok resort

resort is closing shortly for needed renos,not comparable to other Gran Bahia we went to previously, there is a language barrier also, if you want ice good luck.. now on a more positive note, the food was good, no need to fight for chairs either at pool or beach resort is smaller than others so a more relaxed and cozy atmosphere all in all we had a good vacation and I also want to add that the price we paid for this was really good soooo

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Great Place

First Time at Bahia Principe Esmeralda, the size of the resort is a fraction of the size of the Bahia Principe Punta Cana next door. It was very clean, not very big, beach was excellent and great for little kids, Food was excellent, Staff was very friendly and great with most of them speaking english, pools were very warm (toowarm) Resturant booking is the biggest down side here. The room we had needed to be updated as it was a bit dated. If you want a lounger in a preferred spot get up early (i [... read more] was up at the beach by 6:30am and alot already resvered in the front rows) all in all it was a great place with a great guest atmosphere. I would recommend this place to Friends and family.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: WORST VACATION EVER!!!!

Problems from Day 1 Very disappointed with quality of hotel, service provided, guest services resolution to problems and lack of items included in package!!!! 1. Cleanliness and lack of caring regarding standards and practices. When you complain, look out you are now a target!!!!! Cleaning staff stood outside our room last 3 days of our vacation yelling, laughing and intentionally keeping us awake, this started at 8 am!!!! And, on our very last day knock on door at 8.40 am (we were still in be [... read more]d sleeping), maintenance guy with a ladder coming to fix our "smoke vent" in the room....are you kidding me????? 2. Resolution to problems non existent!!!! Staff and managers need to be asked numerous times to resolve issues, ie. alcohol that is supposed to be in your room when you are part of the "luxury" resort, called numerous times to have it brought up, hit and miss sometimes there sometimes not!!!! 3. Guest services, you are required to complain more than 3 times with an apparent escalation in your frustration before they even attempt to assist you!!!! All in all I will NEVER return to this chain of resorts, I arrived home more frustrated than when I left. - We were not alone in our complaints, we overheard guests complaining that the beach bar (in luxury area) was out of vodka, rum and cola 3 days in a row?? Guest was in guest services area 3rd day in a row complaining about this issue he was very very upset and rightly so!!!! - 2 couples we met on their honeymoons booked in the luxury end of resort were given rooms with construction right outside their windows, hotel promised to find them new rooms, never happened, I can't imagine a WORSE honeymoon!!!! We were so disappointed with our original booking of the "Grand Bahia" and the services provided, we paid extra to get the "luxury Grand Bahia" services!!! It was a waste of the extra money!!!! This resort, "Grand Bahia" end should not be rated a 4 star and the "Luxury Grand Bahia" end should not be rated a 5 star!!!! I have never been so disappointed and frustrated on a holiday, I need another holiday to get over the horrible 1st one!!!!

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Two thumbs up!

It was our first time to Mexico and we were pleasantly surprized with the resort, the staff, the food and the amenities. Everything exceeded our expectation. I would definitely go back again! Amazing!!

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Fabulous Vacation!

We recently spent a week at the Grand Bahia Principe Coba. We were a group that consisted of pre-teens, 20-somethings and 40-somethings. An incredible time was had by all. Service and food were amazing. The only downside to anything we had were the lack or dinner reservation availble yet the restaurants appeared to be half empty all the time. We only were able to get 2 of our 4 availble a al cartes. The ones we had (International & Italian) were delicious but the other 9 in our party only manage [... read more]d to get one booking. That was disappointing because we had heard really good things about some of the other restaurants however never got a chance to sample them. The buffett was very good and always fresh. my daughter loves mango and this is not an item we saw on the buffett so she asked; next thing a gentleman shows up with a plate of mango cut up for her. She was delighted! The bartenders did the best they could however there was only ever one bartender working and i think they would have certainly benefitted from having at least two serving in the swim up bars! The only other problem we had was our mini bar wasn't restocked with snacks and drinks consistently, I had to request water (after that I had lots of water but nothing else) and for some reson our faceclothes didnt get replenished with the towels. The beach not great due to a ton of seaweed; employees worked hard and did a fairly good job at collecting and bagging it but was alot of work; you can only fight mother nature so long! we spent a couple hours in the ocean but then made our way back to the pool and waterpark (which the kids loved). Our room overlooked the water park and was located right next to the lobby (building 22) and was a great location. Even though the resort is larger than i prefer I would most definitely recommend this resort especially with children.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Beautiful Resort - family friendly!

This resort is very large. The grounds and buildings are beautiful - well kept and clean. I had a suite - I highly recommend - it is two standard rooms into one, so two bathrooms and the second area is a living room, with pull out couch suitable for kids. AND two full bathrooms - jackpot. We had family staying on the opposite side E building they had two rooms standard side by side and one night we had the 5 & 12 yr old sleep over on our pull out couch! SOOOO if you travelling with family try to [... read more] co ordinate closer to the main building or just on the same side we were in building A13 - too far away really - BUT since we had to walk back and forth you won't gain any weight! lol The food and restaurants were great and the bars. Only thing is that there was NOT 24hr room service like tripcentral says so our Rep told us. BUT one morning we saw food being delivered - hmmmm??? It was a beautiful family holiday! OH and a little too much plastic cups from the bars - if I ordered from the waiter in the lobby - which we normally did - glass but if you go up to the lobby bar (not being in the pool) the drinks would be in plastic - not something I would ever expect from a 5 star resort.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Nice resort & wedding area !

I was there only for the day to attend my friends wedding. I was impressed with everything: staff, food, clean facilities. The wedding department staff was amazing as well. What a beautiful area to get married ! A memorable time; even only for 1 day....

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Awesome food and beautiful resort

from the moment we arrived the staff we there to assist. We did not get to check in one minute before 3 pm but I understand that based on the # of rooms the cleaning staff have to prepare. When we did get in the room was lovely and the view was great! The beach in front of the resort is aweful but if you wander down past the beach grill you will find a beautiful beach. With beach bars. The pools were great. Plenty of room for everyone however we did find that a couple days we could not find a pl [... read more]ace as all the chairs were reserved. The food........fabulous at all the a la carted and the buffet was good as well. The Buffet for the adults only area was far better than the main one though. And much quieter. The bed was comfortable but the pillows were terrible. Overall this place was awesome but no place is perfect which is why I rated it a 4 out of 5!

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Relaxing Stay!

Our stay at the Grand Bahia Principe Tulum was terrific! The food was overall some of the best I have experienced on a resort and there was always entertainment available. By having a room in a more private area of the resort we were able to enjoy our peace and quiet, but also go and join into the fun of the larger common areas. The only negative was the distance away from the airport, but the drive was worth the wait.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: 6th Visit and we will be back

We love this hotel. The service is always excellent. The food is great. The grounds are always immaculate. This year was the first time in 6 years that there was an accumulation of seaweed on the beach. There was a grand effort to clean it up by a huge amount of workers and they did a fantastic job. It didn't bother us as we just walked over it and went in the water. Although some people may find the sandbags in the water unsightly, they are necessary to keep the beach from further erosion. If y [... read more]ou go past the sandbags, it is great fun jumping the waves! Closer to shore the water is very calm so you can just lay there and watch all the activities on the beach. Changing the Akumal resort to a luxery resort did not have any effect on our stay. There was always lots going on at Coba and Tulum at night. Another fabulous time at Bahia Principe. Can't wait to go back!!